Though few history books make mention of it, many of our most lauded
artists — Picasso, Kandinsky, Mondrian, Duchamp, to name but a few —
were deeply influenced by the occult. The imagery and tenets of arcane
traditions including alchemy, Spiritualism, Theosophy, and shamanism
have infused the work of artists through the ages. Beginning with the
Symbolists, then spiraling through such periods as Cubism, Dada,
Surrealism (with its wonderfully witchy women), Abstract Expressionism,
and the visionary art of today, this evening’s lecture will be a visual
primer on the existence of magic in our museums and galleries.

This talk will be immediately followed by the US launch celebration of Abraxas Journal’s Special Issue #1. Copies will be available for sale – save on international shipping! – and wine will be served.

Pam Grossman is an independent curator, writer, and lifelong student of magical practice and history. She is the creator of Phantasmaphile, a blog which specializes in art and culture with an esoteric or fantastical bent, and Associate Editor of Abraxas Journal.
Her group art shows, Fata Morgana: The New Female Fantasists, VISION
QUEST, Alchemically Yours, and Sigils & Signs have been featured by
such outlets as Art & Antiques Magazine, Boing Boing, CREATIVE TIME,
Time Out New York, Reality Sandwich, Juxtapoz, Arthur, 20×200,
UrbanOutfitters.com, and Neil Gaiman’s Twitter. She is a co-founder of
Observatory, where her programming aims to explore mysticism via a
scholarly yet accessible approach.